What Angle is the Path of a Moon Landing Descent Vehicle?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on calculating the angle of a moon landing descent vehicle's path relative to the vertical. The vehicle has a vertical velocity of 31.7 m/s and a horizontal velocity of 58.6 m/s, resulting in a combined velocity of 66.625 m/s. Participants suggest using trigonometric functions (sine, cosine, or tangent) to determine the angle, emphasizing the need to visualize the velocities as components of a right triangle. The challenge lies in deciding which trigonometric function to apply for finding the angle with respect to the vertical. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding the relationship between the velocities and their components in solving the problem.
anglum
Messages
275
Reaction score
0
angle of vertical path?

Homework Statement



A descent vehicle landing on the moon has
a vertical velocity toward the surface of the
moon of 31:7 m=s. At the same time, it has a
horizontal velocity of 58:6 m=s. the combined velocity is 66.625m/s

At what angle with the vertical is its path?
Answer in units of degrees

Homework Equations



i am pretty sure i need to use sin, cos or tan for this but not sure exactly how

The Attempt at a Solution



i had solved for the combined velocity to get the 66.625 however now i am stuck on the next step
 
Physics news on Phys.org
if it helps, draw a triangle indicating the velocity and its components. Then you can use sin, cos, or tan to find the answer
 
if i draw it tho one angle has to be 90 degrees correct due to the horizontal and vertical velocity

i just am not sure whether to use cos sin or tan to find at what angle with the vertical is its path
 
I multiplied the values first without the error limit. Got 19.38. rounded it off to 2 significant figures since the given data has 2 significant figures. So = 19. For error I used the above formula. It comes out about 1.48. Now my question is. Should I write the answer as 19±1.5 (rounding 1.48 to 2 significant figures) OR should I write it as 19±1. So in short, should the error have same number of significant figures as the mean value or should it have the same number of decimal places as...
Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'
Let's declare that for the cylinder, mass = M = 10 kg Radius = R = 4 m For the wall and the floor, Friction coeff = ##\mu## = 0.5 For the hanging mass, mass = m = 11 kg First, we divide the force according to their respective plane (x and y thing, correct me if I'm wrong) and according to which, cylinder or the hanging mass, they're working on. Force on the hanging mass $$mg - T = ma$$ Force(Cylinder) on y $$N_f + f_w - Mg = 0$$ Force(Cylinder) on x $$T + f_f - N_w = Ma$$ There's also...
Back
Top